Waterproof case

ABSTRACT

A protective case for an electronic device includes a main housing and a lid. The main housing and lid are removably joined to define a water tight volume receiving an electronic device. The electronic device includes an earpiece having a speaker and microphone positioned thereon. The lid includes an earpiece port formed therein proximate the earpiece of the electronic device. A membrane assembly is attached to the lid by a compliant adhesive, the membrane assembly transmitting sound to the ear piece port. A noise isolating assembly attached to the lid. The noise isolating assembly is positioned about a periphery of the earpiece isolating the earpiece from an additional sound source.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser.No. 13/835,915 filed on Mar. 15, 2013 which claims priority toprovisional application No. 61/526,093 filed on Aug. 22, 2011, utilityapplication Ser. No. 13/591,944 filed Aug. 22, 2012 and provisionalapplication 61/749,752 filed Jan. 7, 2013 all of which are hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to water and air sealed cases for electronicdevices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Waterproof housings for various devices are known in the art. Howeversuch water proof housings are not specifically designed for theactuation of buttons, switches, toggles or screens and sensors tofunction of the enclosed electronic device and to provide a cleartransmission of sound from the interior of the case to an exterior ofthe case and/or from the exterior to the interior of the case. There istherefore a need in the art for a water tight case that has an improvedsound transmission and allows a user to actuate various portions of thedevice and for sensors to function while positioned within the case.

While waterproof housings exist in the art, what is not understood ishow to create a waterproof housing that allows the enclosed device tooperate and effectively transmit sound into and out of a sealedenclosure using mechanical means through the use of strategically placedair cavities and acoustic membranes to translate acoustic energy intovibrational energy. Devices in most waterproof housings may not transmitsound effectively, may have problems with reverberations fromvibrational effects of the housing itself or feedback from echoes fromother sound sources within the housing, or may not allow the concurrentoperation of other sensors of the electronic device as this is notobvious and is thus the subject of this patent. In order to allow thefull functionality of the electronic device housed within a waterproofhousing, such a housing requires the strategic use and placement of aircavities and the use of specific acoustic membranes for soundtransmission.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, there is disclosed a protective case for an electronicdevice that includes a main housing and a lid. The main housing and lidare removably joined to define an air and water tight volume receivingan electronic device. The electronic device includes an earpiece havinga speaker and microphone positioned thereon. The lid includes anearpiece port formed therein proximate the earpiece of the electronicdevice. A membrane assembly is attached to the lid by a compliantadhesive, the membrane assembly transmitting sound to the ear pieceport. A noise isolating assembly attached to the lid. The noiseisolating assembly is positioned about a periphery of the earpieceisolating the earpiece from an additional sound source.

At least one air cavity is defined by the device inserted into thevolume. The air cavity is located between the device and the mainhousing. At least one membrane is positioned on the main housing or lid.The membrane is sized to vibrate and translate acoustic energy from asound source into vibrational energy without significant attenuationallowing sound waves to be generated on an opposing side of the membraneeither internal or external to the volume.

In another aspect, there is disclosed a protective case for anelectronic device that includes a main housing and a lid. The mainhousing and lid are removably joined to define an air and water tightvolume receiving an electronic device. The main housing includeslocating cavities formed therein. The locating cavities orienting amounting feature attached to the main housing.

In a further aspect, there is disclosed a protective case for anelectronic device that includes a main housing and a lid. The mainhousing and lid are removably joined to define an air and water tightvolume receiving an electronic device. The electronic device includes aswitch. At least one air cavity is formed of a foam, rubber or elastomermaterial that seals and defines an air volume between the device and anyof the lid or main housing in which the air cavity is used to isolate orchannel sound to or from a specified area of a microphone or speaker ofthe device. The main housing includes a slot formed therein proximatethe switch of the electronic device. A toggle is rotatively positionedwithin the slot. The toggle includes a C-shaped contact portion and theswitch positioned in the C-shaped contact portion and actuated byrotation of the toggle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of a protectivecase;

FIG. 2A is a partial perspective view of the lower portion of the casemember;

FIG. 2B is a partial sectional view of the speaker port and TPU;

FIG. 2C is a partial sectional view of the home button port andmembrane;

FIG. 3A is a partial perspective view of the lower portion of the casemember;

FIG. 3B is a partial sectional view of the microphone port and membrane;

FIG. 3C is a partial perspective view of the lower portion of the casemember dealing with the sealing rib of the microphone port in oneembodiment of a protective case;

FIG. 4A is an exploded partial perspective view of the upper portion ofthe case member;

FIG. 4B is an assembled partial perspective view of the upper portion ofthe case member and second speaker port;

FIG. 4C is a partial sectional view of the second speaker port andmembrane;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the case;

FIG. 6A is a perspective view of the case;

FIG. 6B is a partial sectional view of the case member, lid and O-ringjoined where there is no attachment structure;

FIG. 6C is a partial sectional view of the case member, lid and O-ringjoined in a region of the first attachment structure;

FIG. 6D is a partial sectional view of the case member, lid and O-ringjoined in a region of the second attachment structure;

FIG. 6E is a partial perspective view of the second attachmentstructure;

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of the case member and a plug;

FIG. 8A is a partial perspective view of the upper portion of the casemember;

FIG. 8B is a partial sectional view of a toggle membrane;

FIG. 8C is a partial sectional view of a toggle membrane;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of aprotective case;

FIG. 10 are perspective views of a microphone port and membrane ofanother embodiment;

FIG. 11 are a sectional view and perspective view of the membraneassembly of the microphone port of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view of the lid and membrane assemblyfor a second microphone port of the second embodiment;

FIG. 13 is a partial perspective view of the lid and membrane assemblyfor a second microphone port of the second embodiment;

FIG. 14A-B are perspective views of the case and attachment structuresof the second embodiment;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a seal of the lid of the secondembodiment;

FIG. 16A-C are perspective and sectional views of the case including thelid and main housing and seal of the second embodiment;

FIG. 17A-17B are perspective views of the case and plug of the secondembodiment;

FIG. 18 is a perspective and sectional view of the case and a toggle foractuating a device of the second embodiment;

FIG. 19 is a perspective and partial sectional view of the case and atoggle for actuating a device of the second embodiment;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the case and a second toggle foractuating a device of the second embodiment;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the case including an access port ofthe second embodiment;

FIG. 22A, 22B, and 22C is a perspective view and sectional view of thecase including an access port of the second embodiment;

FIG. 23 is graph of acoustic responses for membranes;

FIG. 24 are perspective views of a case member showing air gaps of thesecond embodiment;

FIG. 25 are perspective views of a case member showing air gaps of thesecond embodiment;

FIG. 26 is a perspective view and sectional view showing a port and thinwalled membrane;

FIG. 27 is a perspective and front view of an isolation assemblypositioned about an ear piece;

FIG. 28 is a front view of an isolation assembly area positioned aboutan ear piece;

FIG. 29 are views of an audio jack assembly;

FIG. 30 is a perspective view and sectional view of the case andmounting feature;

FIG. 31 are perspective views of the case and mounting feature;

FIG. 32 are perspective views of an alternate door structure

FIG. 33 are perspective views of a charge plug and the access port.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the various figures there are shown various embodiments ofa water proof case 10 that includes water tight acoustic membranes. Forthe purposes of creating a waterproof housing to protect the contents ofthe housing, it is desirable to have a housing made with thick solidwalls made of a structurally strong water proof material that canwithstand the external environment that it is exposed to and as fewopenings as possible. However for the functions of some electronicdevices, there exists a need to have sections that allow the actuationof the device or to somehow allow input and output to be captured. Forexample, specific functional features of enclosed devices may requiresensory response or input such as to proximal visual, reflective,conductive, magnetic, electromagnetic, vibratory, pressure, inductive,piezoelectric, or acoustic elements in the external environment in orderfor features to operate or buttons or switches to actuate functions. Theenclosed devices may have other features that capture input or generateoutput, such as to capture images, acoustic environment, signals, or togenerate light, sound, vibrations, signals. In some of the featuresdescribed, a consistent thick wall for a waterproof housing will notallow the device to serve this functional purpose within the housing.Hence, some sections may require specific elements to allow the encloseddevice to function and operate in a waterproof environment. Of all ofthese functions, one of the more challenging elements is the capture andtransmission of acoustics in a waterproof housing. In order for aspeaker to transmit and propagate sound, there may exist strategic airgaps, cavities, channels, and ports within a housing so that the wallsof the housing can act to vibrate or propagate sound out of the housing.Where there is less room for a sufficiently large surface area forspeaker output to vibrate, sound may be directed through the use ofstrategically placed air gaps, cavities, channels, ports, ribs, pocketsor holes to an area within a housing where sound may be transmittedusing an appropriately thin wall section or flat membrane formed of asuitable material and of a surface area not too small so that it canfreely vibrate. This membrane may be of sufficient thickness such thatit is able to convert the amount of acoustic energy as it may otherwisebe subjected to excessive vibration resulting in a buzzing sound thataffects sound transmission. If the membrane is unable to handle theacoustic energy without excessive vibration, it is possible to increasethe thickness of the material or alter the boundary conditions by usingdamping materials and compliantly mounting the membrane so that it canstill vibrate but not excessively. A combination of several criteria maybe modified to achieve sufficient propagation of overall volume andlower tonal frequency of sound transmitted by increasing the volume ofair or size of the air chamber, mounting the membrane more compliantlyor flexibly, using a thinner material, increasing the size of themembrane, adjusting the proportions of the membrane, changing themembrane material as it is more acoustically transparent in the desiredfrequency range or changing the boundary conditions and dampingmaterials used. For example, a wall of the main housing or the entirelid may be used as the membrane to propagate sound with sufficientlylarge proportions of a suitable thickness such that it is designed,mounted or assembled to allow the wall or lid to flexibly vibrate.

In one aspect, the ability to transmit sound in and out of a water tighthousing through the design of the membranes and housing differs fromthat of those known in the art. In order for a microphone to operate, athin membrane may be assembled over a sound port such that it forms awaterproof barrier. The thin membrane may or may not be permeable to airbut is not be permeable to water. The membrane may be assembled usingglue, solvent bonding, double stick tape, ultrasonic welding or othermethods of bonding such that the construction is waterproof. The thinmembrane transmits acoustic energy from the exterior of the case tovibrational energy of the membrane and generates sound waves on theinterior side of the membrane that are directed to a specific microphoneon the electronic device in the waterproof housing. The membrane may beassembled flat and not wrinkled, compliantly mounted and made of asufficiently thin material that has suitable acoustic transparency andof an appropriately surface area so that it can vibrate and propagatesound into the housing. The material properties of the membrane may bechosen for their range of acoustic frequency response and their abilityto withstand temperature and environmental exposure. The outside of thesound port on the exterior of the case can have a channel to direct andamplify sound by using a funnel shape. In order to have an increase inoverall volume and lower frequency sound allowing the acoustic membraneto function properly with less distortion and a more full bass range fora microphone, it is desirable to create an air tight seal between themicrophone port of the electronic device and the acoustic membrane onthe sound port to create an isolated air cavity and avoid a reduction ofthe dB of lower frequency sound that passes through the membrane andincrease overall loudness allowing a louder, more full, rich and neutraltonal frequency for the voice and shift from the higher frequencydistortion that would otherwise result without a sealed air cavity. Thesealed air cavity may be created using foam, rubber or other dampingmaterials to direct, isolate and channel sound directly from the soundport to the microphone of the device, which also serves to dampen andprevent reverberations and feedback from other internal sources ofsound, including speakers and the housing itself from affecting soundtransmission Strategic air channels and damping materials may be used toisolate noise from ambient sound traveling from other areas, openings orthe housings and in effect can channel or direct sound such that anomnidirectional microphone can effectively operate as if it weredirectional.

In one aspect, a thin waterproof acoustic membrane functions best whenit is mounted closer to the microphone and closer to the internalportion of the housing as its vibration becomes the sound source for themicrophone. A spaced membrane located further from the microphone maylower the volume of sound detected by the microphone and the membranemay need to have a larger dimension or be of a thinner material toachieve the same effect, which is a constraint in developing afunctional waterproof housing to transmit sound for some devices. Themounting of such a membrane may be flat and not wrinkled as that maylead to acoustic distortion and the bond strength of the adhesive mustbe sufficient to keep the membrane from deformation which also affectsacoustics and waterproofness.

In one aspect, where the enclosed electronic device serves a functionalpurpose of voice communication, there are disclosed materials that aresuitable to form acoustic membranes that produce a suitable frequencyrange for the human voice, primarily from 100 Hz to 3000 Hz. Byselecting materials with a suitable Young's modulus and density, themembrane frequency response can be adjusted to a target frequency. Asshown in FIG. 23 the compliantly mounted membranes have a higher outputin decibels than the rigidly mounted membrane.

For a speaker, a large dimension membrane is desirable to vibrate andtransmit sound outward. Such a membrane may be mounted to allow it toflex or vibrate using a compliant mounting or the membrane may have asufficiently large dimension or a sufficiently thin dimension to vibrateand transmit sound outward.

In order to create a waterproof seal, an appropriate adhesive may beselected to create a strong bond taking into account the surface energyof the materials, the surface area for bonding and the compliance of thebond allowing the membrane to vibrate and transmit sound.

Equally important to the selection of the acoustic and waterproofmembrane materials are the boundary conditions selected of how themembrane is mounted as this will also affect the frequency range of themembrane. More compliant, less rigid mounting conditions will result ina lower frequency range. The lowest frequency of resonance of themembrane may be limited by mechanical and material parameters. In acompliantly mounted membrane, the low frequency mode of a membranerigidly bonded to the surrounding housing can be determined toapproximate the frequency response of a diaphragm defined as a freevibrating edge-clamped circular disc. The natural frequency of such adisc is determined by the equation.f_(mn)=α_(mn)/4π×√(E/3ρ(1−ν²))×(h/α²): where α_(mn) is a vibrating modesconstant of the diaphragm, h is the thickness of the diaphragm, α is theeffective radius of the diaphragm, ρ is the mass density of thediaphragm material, ν is the Poisson's Ratio of the diaphragm material,and E is the Young's Modulus of the diaphragm material. The resonantfrequency of the membrane may be governed by this equation. It will showup in the frequency response as a resonance and there may be othervibration modes at higher frequencies compared to the lowest mode givenby this equation. Thus, in order to transfer energy from the acousticmembrane to the speaker, a low modulus is desirable. Specifically, aflexible membrane with low density is desirable so that the movement ofthe membrane is maximized when impacted by a sound wave such that thesound wave is then re-produced on the other side of the membrane. Thisresonance shows up as a peak in the frequency response of the speakerwith membrane. It is further possible to tune the membrane frequency toprovide additional output from the speaker-membrane unit. This can beachieved by using soft or compliant foam to mount the membrane to thehousing. In one aspect, a viscoelastic adhesive tape can be used tocompliantly mount the membrane to a housing as it creates a strongwaterproof bond suitable for dynamic use. In another aspect, thecompliance of the membrane assembly may be enhanced by using a soft foamwith viscoelastic adhesive tape on both sides of the membrane. Morerigid edge conditions for the membrane may result in a higher frequencyresponse for the membrane. Hence, the mode frequency of the membrane maybe dependent upon the Young's Modulus, density and diameter andthickness of the material.

In one aspect, the membrane material may be selected with Young'sModulus from 50 MPa up to 80 GPa and a density from 500 kg/m3 up to 2500kg/m3. Some examples of such materials include thermoplastic films PEN,PI, PET, PBT, PE, PC, PVC, PP, EVA; thermoplastic alloys, themosets,thermoplastic elastomers such as TPE/TPU), rubbers such as butyl,ethylene propylene, silicone, fluorosilicone, epichlorohydrin,chlorosufonated polyethylene, fluoroelastoemers, perfluoroelastomer,tetrafluoroethylene, tetrafluropropylene, polychloroprene, organic filmssuch as, collagen films or films made of natural products like starch,proteins or synthetic polymers, ceramics, silicone films, metallic foilsor metallized films including. Aluminum foil and plastic films withmetal deposits, and multilayer systems composed of laminates ofdifferent combinations of materials such as PET with foil laminatedtogether. The size of the membrane and the thickness of the material mayalso be chosen to achieve a specific frequency range. In one aspect, athinner membrane will lower the membrane frequency response andconversely, a thicker membrane will result in a higher frequencyresponse. A larger membrane will give a lower frequency response than asmaller membrane using the same material. For the purpose of a smalldevice with small acoustic features such as a telephone, mp3 player,video recorder, camera, headphones, and hearing aid, the thickness ofthe membrane may ideally vary from 5 microns up to 2000 micronsdepending upon the material. The damping or energy absorptioncharacteristics of the membrane also need to be considered. Higherdamping (absorb more energy) materials will have a smoother frequencyresponse and show less sharp peaks or resonances in their frequencyresponse. This will result in a more natural sound transmissionexternally from a speaker. Conversely low damping materials such asmetal foils or ceramics will have sharp resonances.

In the current state of the art, it is not known which materials aresuitable to be used as impermeable membranes with desired acousticproperties and stability for water immersion and for outdoor use.Additionally, acoustic membranes in the present application are waterproof which is a function of having a strong adhesive to form a strongbond with the adhesive bond strength and the cohesive strength of thematerials indicating the degree of waterproofness. However, one wouldexpect that a strong bond is better and an adhesive that holds themembrane tightly would be better for waterproofness. However, what isnot obvious and a part of this invention is that the adhesive in factmust be compliant for dynamic use over a wide range of environmentalconditions to allow the membrane to freely vibrate and displace the airvolume contained within the housing. In addition, to avoidreverberations from vibrations of the material of the housing orfeedback from echoes within the enclosure that affect sound transmissioninto and out of the housing, an air and water tight compressible sealmade of an acoustic damping material such as foam or an elastomermaterial may be used to surround an air cavity between the housing andthe microphones of the device and seal it from the rest of the housingto prevent reverberations from other sound sources within the housingthat would affect the sound quality and transmission. The compressibleelastomer or foam further enhances the compliance of the way in which amembrane is mounted so that it is not compressed between two stiffmaterials that inhibit its ability to vibrate or displace the air volumeand react to the sound pressure differential created when a sound sourcepasses through the air and watertight membrane assembly. Theunderstanding of what may be suitable materials to form acousticmaterials or other functional requirements for sound transmission doesnot exist in the art as this is usually achieved through the use ofporous membranes that allow the transmission of sound through airpermeable membranes however, the use of porous membranes forwaterproofness may be unreliable as the size of the pores can be easilyexpanded or punctured upon touch, which would render them notwaterproof. Porous membranes that are waterproof do rely upon the sameprinciples to operate within a waterproof housing as non-porouswaterproof membranes, however these principles have not been wellunderstood as much of the prior art relied upon the use of porousmembranes for waterproof housings. Various water proof applications useporous membranes that allow air to pass through but not water & whilethis is waterproof, this has its limitations. Such porous membranes arenot reliably waterproof as the pores are easily damaged with abrasion,may leak over time and are not suitable for a dynamic use where they aresubject to ongoing movement such as to protect against damage fromaccidental drops, daily use, or outdoor use. Also many membranes aremade with PTFE (Teflon), which has chemical properties of strongresistance to chemical attack as it is relatively inert, but at the sametime PTFE is very difficult to adhere due to its low surface energy andlow ability to bond to other materials. The low surface energy or thelow “wetability” of PTFE means that it is difficult to form a strongadhesive bonding, which is the basis of waterproof protection. Both theporosity of the material and its material properties are limitations inutility for waterproof cases. There is therefore a need in the art foran improved water proof housing that allows acoustic transmission butthat does not compromise waterproofness.

A microphone usually may include an airtight seal around the microphonein order for the membrane to function optimally, allowing a lowerfrequency response, louder overall volume and greater clarity withbackground noise reduction; however the opposite may be required for aspeaker membrane. If the volume of the air between the device and themembrane is reduced, possibly by sealing the speaker membrane, orreducing the volume of air between the device and the membrane, theability of the membrane to vibrate is impeded so that overall soundtransmission is reduced. One requirement for a speaker membrane tooperate may be the strategic use of a sufficiently large air gap or aircavity to allow the membrane to vibrate. The transmission of sound in aspeaker is a function of the material properties of the membrane,thinness of the membrane, size of the membrane, compliant mounting ofthe membrane, and the size of the air cavity as all of these create theeffect of allowing a flexible membrane compliantly-mounted to create lowresistance to respond to air pressure. In particular, for membranes thatare not permeable to air or water, it is desirable to utilize the pentup air pressure in the air chamber or case to force the membrane tovibrate so that it acts as an air piston. A compliantly mounted membraneallows it to vibrate, instead of clamping it tight which inhibitsmovement. A compliantly mounted membrane includes a spring-like effectthat allows the membrane to vibrate and act as an air piston respondingto changes in air pressure to move the membrane allowing sound totransfer and increases an overall sound level. In some instances, soundfrom a sound source such may be redirected within an air and watertighthousing so that a sufficiently large sized membrane and sufficientlylarge sized air cavity is available to vibrate to act as an air piston.When using non-porous membranes, it may be important to have a way toequalize air pressure in a closed housing so that the membrane can flexand sound can propagate. A build up in air pressure may cause themembrane to bulge and the force of the air in the cavity with keep themembrane from vibrating fully and propagating sound. It may be necessaryto have a secondary port in the waterproof housing that can be opened &closed occasionally to equalize the air pressure. The functionalimportance of strategic air cavities and membranes and their physicalrequirements are not well understood in prior art as these would not beobvious when using porous membranes that allow the flow of air such thatcavities are not sealed and that due to their construction may not be asconsistent or flat affecting tonal quality and may be more prone tobreaking down on excessive vibrational energy particularly if notcompliantly mounted such that the porous membrane tears, deforms orseparates. In understanding how acoustics function in a waterproofhousing, the principles that apply to non-porous membranes may alsoapply to porous membranes, however the exact understanding would notexist unless an effort were made to first understand the functional andstructural considerations required for non-porous membranes to functionin an air and water tight housing. In an air and water tight housing,the sound may be redirected through the use of strategic air cavitiesand air gaps, ducts or internal ports or pipes to allow the air pressureto move to another larger area of the housing that can vibrate and actas the speaker membrane to allow sound waves to propagate to the outsideof the housing. The sound may be redirected in such a way because thehousing includes non-permeable air tight membranes so that there isminimal loss in acoustic energy as there is little transmission loss ofthe sound since there are no air vents that would reduce the airpressure and reduce the potential vibrational energy of the membrane.Sound waves are thus generated on the other side of the air and watertight membrane to the external environment which can then propagatethrough the external medium, whether air or water. It is known in theart that the sound impedance of air and water are different which limitsthe ability for sound to travel from a sound source in air and to bepropagated through water without significant transmission loss. Hence,there is a need in the art to be able to propagate sound underwaterwithout significant signal attenuation. An air and water tight housingthat employs air chambers and a non-permeable membrane to create an airpiston permits sound from a source inside the housing to propagatethrough an external aqueous environment without significant attenuationbecause the acoustic energy within the housing is converted tovibrational energy of the membrane so that sound waves may be generatedon the external side of the air and water tight acoustic membrane inwater. These sound waves generated within water experience less acousticimpedance underwater so that sound may be propagated much further,possibly throughout the entire body of a contained water mass, such as aswimming pool. Hence, an operator of a device contained within such anair and water tight housing may listen to music underwater even if theyrelatively further away from the housing.

In addition, in some instances, the membrane may need to be isolatedfrom adjacent structures through the use of damping materials such asfoam or rubber. This may be required if there are reverberations, fromvibrations/feedback that reflect within the housing that createinterference with the speaker output and depends upon the spatialorientation of the features within the housing, although in general, thelarger the volume of air, the less interference is created.

For many device manufacturers, there is an ongoing development to createdevices that are slimmer, thinner, and smaller and yet continue todeliver more performance. Component parts are also become more compactand smaller to fit within devices such that features and parts arecloser together in a smaller space. With the increasing use of tiny MEMSmicrophones and speakers, new technologies such as beamforming may beemployed for noise cancellation techniques and these are particularlyrelevant in designing a waterproof case. Such devices may employ anarray of MEMS omnidirectional microphones with a low signal-to-noiseratio that may or may not be combined with a gyroscope to determine theorientation of the device and the location of a primary sound source,detect the direction of background noise an apply improved noisecancellation techniques to eliminate the background noise. Devices thatemploy multiple microphones configured to form a directional response orbeam pattern can be designed to be more sensitive to sound coming fromone or more specific directions that coming from other directions andusing sophisticated signal processing algorithms, eliminate feedback,echoes and background noise. In electronic devices that employ multiplemicrophones in beamforming arrays for noise attenuation andcancellation, a waterproof housing forms a unique challenge as it mayconfuse the signal processing algorithms of the device if unexpectedfeedback or vibrations from a speaker reverberate through the housingand are detected by any of the microphones. This may cause echoes ordistortions of sound and an acoustic feedback loop as a sound source isfed into a sound receiver and will affect the quality of a phone call.To avoid this, microphones in such a device may be isolated fromreverberations from vibrations of the housing or any sound that speakersin the device may generate using damping materials such as foam orrubber.

In a waterproof housing for a device there may be multiple sensors onthe device such as audio (microphone) and image sensors (camera) thatmust operate and there may be insufficient space due to the closeproximity of these features. In one aspect, this is a design challengefor acoustics as membranes need a sufficiently large area to vibrate andtransmit sound. In another aspect, this is a design challenge forwaterproof bonding as a visco elastic adhesive such as 3M VHB tapesusually may require a minimal width to bond reliably (at least 1.5 mm orgreater). In another aspect, a suitably thin membrane may require aminimum sufficiently large are in order to vibrate to transmit sound.What is not obvious is in the art is that a channel may be utilized froman area where there is more space to mount an acoustic membrane assemblyto redirect the acoustic energy to a microphone. In another aspect, forthe flash and camera to function in such devices, they have their fieldof view and expand to the surface of the housing and cannot beobstructed and the flash can reflect from the surface of a housing intothe camera. In an area where a microphone is located in close proximityto a camera or a light sensor, instead of redirecting the microphonethrough a channel to another location, the sound port may be used forboth light and acoustic transmission by ensuring that the sound portallows sufficient clearance for the transmission of light and directssound to the microphone of the device. In one aspect, the use of amembrane material that is optically clear for the transmission of lightand suitable for transmission of acoustic energy for sound with asufficiently large surface area and is of a suitable thickness tovibrate and compliantly mounted to propagate sound (e.g. TPU, PVDF, PEN,or PET) may be used. For these sensors to operate within the waterproofhousing, the area around each sensor may be sealed using materials thatabsorb light and sound to avoid reflections of light back into thecamera and reverberations of sound and acoustic feedback from speakersin to the microphone (e.g. black elastomer, foam, rubber with blackadhesive).

In some devices, where a microphone and speaker are located within thesame area or close proximity and may function at different times aseither a speaker or a microphone such as in the earpiece area, whichcomplicates the required functionality of the waterproof housing asthere needs to be a balance between the need to isolate and seal amicrophone using damping materials to avoid reverberations, feedback andenhance tonal quality and volume of microphones and the need for aspeaker to have a sufficiently large strategic air gap and sufficientlylarge surface area of a thin wall or membrane to vibrate to propagatesound. Usually in such an electronic device, the microphone and speakerdo not function at the same time as this would cause a feedback loop andin most electronic devices, microphones and speakers are usuallyseparated as much as possible to prevent this and the microphone islocated in this area as a second distal microphone used to enhance thesound quality by canceling out background noise or used as a primarymicrophone when pair with another speaker located elsewhere on thedevice. In one aspect, the same area may be designed to allow sound topropagate through the housing from the speaker by employing asufficiently large air gap and suitably large surface area of a thinwall or membrane, while also isolating and sealing a microphone usingdamping materials to avoid reverberations, feedback and enhance tonalquality and volume. In one aspect, in an area wherein both a microphoneand a speaker must function, they may employ the same thin flexiblemembrane that can freely vibrate for both the microphone and the speakerwith an air cavity surrounded and sealed by damping materials to isolatethat cavity from reverberations and speaker output elsewhere in thehousing. The membrane may be compliantly mounted to flex or vibrate, beof sufficient thickness and of sufficiently large surface area to avoidexcess vibration. This may be further complicated in that such devicesmay also have adjacent areas for other functions such as the proximitysensor, camera, flash, back illumination sensor, ambient light sensor,capacitive, resistive or pressure sensitive touchscreen and/or othersensors that may rely upon sensory input from the environment or areable to detect the presence of nearby objects without any physicalcontact , which limits the size of an earpiece membrane for the speakerand also limits the area that an acoustic sealing foam may be used toisolate the adjacent area for the microphone. A proximity sensor mayoperate by emitting a beam of electromagnetic radiation in the IRspectrum and detects changes in the field or return signal and estimatesthe distance by measuring the amount of light or time-to-travel of lightreflected back from the nearest object. An ambient light sensor may usephotodiodes sensitive to different portions of the light spectrum todetermine the ambient light level in the environment. A backsideillumination sensor may operate to enhance the sensitivity of a camerain a low light setting. In another aspect, for sensors that operate bytransmitting light such as the proximity and ambient light sensor andbackside illumination sensor, light must travel through both the housingand through air and the distance to the housing and its thickness,optical clarity and light transmission in the relevant spectra of lightdetected for sensor operation and the size of the air gap formed betweenthe housing and the device must be designed to avoid significantlydistorting or altering the amount and path of light and field of view soas to avoid affecting the function of the sensors. Where a touchscreenoperates the relative permittivity of the membrane material and air mayaffect its functionality as well. In order for these sensors to functionas well as a microphone and/or speaker, the air gaps should be minimizedand the material of the membrane should be sufficiently thin to notaffect the field of view or sensitivity of the sensors. If the area ofsuch an earpiece is located adjacent to sensors and other functions, theearpiece may be designed with a membrane assembly that is suitable forthe speaker sound to vibrate the membrane and be heard, while a noiseisolating assembly made of damping materials such as foam or a rubber orelastomer seal applied with a pressure sensitive adhesive may be locatedfurther around the perimeter of the sensors and touchscreen such thatthey do not impede the function of those elements. Such a noiseisolating assembly may form an airtight seal with the surface of thehousing or screen membrane so that sound from another speaker in thehousing does not generate feedback or echoes and may be aided by the useof damping materials that have a smooth and high surface friction. Sucha noise isolating assembly also serves to assist the signal processingalgorithm to detect the background noise and cancel it quickly enablinga clear call. The noise isolating assembly may be of sufficientthickness that may range from 0.07 mm to 2 mm and may be of a suitablelocation that it does not significantly distort the housing so that itaffects the pressure or capacitive functionality of the touchscreen northe optical clarity and light transmission and impairs the function ofthe proximity sensor or ambient light sensor or other sensors orfunctions.

Referring to FIGS. 1-8 there is shown a first embodiment of a protectivecase 10 for an electronic device 12. In one aspect the protective case10 includes a main housing 14 and a lid 16. The main housing 14 mayinclude a case member 18. The case member 18 may be formed of variousmaterials to provide a rigid structure for the protective case 10. Inone aspect, the case member 18 may be formed of a clear material such asa clear plastic resin or other materials that are not clear such asother plastic resins or metal. Various plastic resins includingpolycarbonate may be utilized or other materials such as polycarbonateblends, acrylics, Tritan copolyester, PES, etc.

The case member 18 may include various slots and access ports 20 formedtherein. The slots and access ports 20 may be used to actuate variousfunctions using buttons or switches and allow sound transmission, aswill be described in more detail below. Additionally, the case member 18may include a window portion 22 formed therein that receives a screenmember 24. The case member 18 may include sealing and locating material26 applied thereon on defined portions of the case member 18, such asabout the slots and access ports 20 to provide location for theelectronic device 12 within the main housing 14 and a sealing for thecase member 18 as well as allow access to various buttons of theelectronic device as will be described in more detail below. The sealingand locating material 26 may provide shock mitigation properties for theprotective case 10 for the protection of the electronic device 12 whenexposed to shock and drops. In one aspect, the sealing and locatingmaterial 26 may include various thermoplastic elastomers such as aTPE-TPU material or may be formed of other materials such as rubbersincluding silicone.

As referenced above, the case member 18 includes a screen member 24attached thereon about the window portion 22 of the case member 18. Thescreen member 24 may be a separate piece attached using various methodsincluding using an adhesive, welding, molding or otherwise attaching thescreen member 24. The screen member 24 could also be a separate piecethat is assembled and sealed with a rubber gasket to the case member 18.Alternatively, the screen member 24 may be formed with the case member18 and may have a thickness that is different from other portions of thecase member 18. In one aspect, the screen member 24 may be formed of aclear material allowing viewing of a display of the electronic device12. The screen member 24 may have a thickness that allows a user tomanipulate a touch screen of the electronic device 12 through the screenmember 24. In one aspect, the screen member 24 may be formed of a PET,polycarbonate, PC/PMMA blend, TPU, PBT material or other suitablematerial with high optical transparency, low haze and have a thicknessof about 0.1 to 0.5 millimeters that may be assembled into the windowportion 22 of the case member 18 such that it lays flush against thetouchscreen of the electronic device 12 which will allow a user tomanipulate a touch screen with or without another screen protectorapplied to the electronic device 12. The material of the screen member24 should be of a high tensile strength and in some materials; theorientation of the polymer should be oriented such that it is biaxial toincrease the strength to yield and elongation. In one aspect, the screenmember 24 may allow the operation of certain sensors of the electronicdevice 12 that employ the use of light transmission through specificspectra such as infrared, so the material used to form the screen member24 may need to have low absorption of the relevant spectra to avoidreducing the sensitivity and function of those sensors. The screenmember 24 may be attached to the housing in a way that is flexible sothat it continues to be secure even if the screen member 24 is comprisedof different materials than the case member 18 and the coefficient ofthermal expansion of both materials may be different or pressure may beapplied to the screen member 24 so that the touchscreen of theelectronic device 12 may be operated requiring the attachment point tobe flexible and yield rather than break. Such a screen member 24 mayhave a coating on the exterior that increases the surface hardness,resists scratches, self-heals, does not show marks from fingerprints, ordoes not fog with temperature differences. The flexibly mounted screenmember 24 may also have a coating on the interior that prevents theformation of watermarks or Newton Rings that may occur due tointerference between the light waves reflected from the top and bottomsurfaces of the air gap formed between the bending of the screen member24 and the touchscreen of the electronic device. Such a coating wouldthen create a finely textured surface on the interior of the screenmember 24 that prevents the interference and that at the same time doesnot significantly reduce the optical transmission of the screen member24. In one aspect, the screen member 24 may be formed of a conductivematerial or may have a conductive coating applied on the exterior,interior or both sides of the screen member 24 that serve to enhance thesensitivity of a capacitive touchscreen of an electronic device 12, andin this aspect, the screen member 24 may have a thickness greater than0.5 mm to provide greater impact protection without a reduction insensitivity of the touchscreen of the electronic device 12. Wherecoatings are used on the screen member 24, they must also have similarcoefficients of thermal expansion to the material of the screen member24 to avoid separation or delamination from changes in the temperatureor environment.

The protective case 10 includes at least one sound chamber 28 formedthereon. At least one sound chamber 28 may be located on the case member18 or the lid 16. The sound chamber 28 shown is defined by an area ofthe lid 16 that includes a channel and a thinned wall section 30 or wallsection that has a smaller thickness than an adjacent portion of the lid16. The thinned wall section 30 defines an air space 32 formed betweenthe electronic device 12 and the lid 12 allowing for sound to betransmitted from speakers of the electronic device 12. The air space 32and the thinned wall section 30 are sufficiently large to allow thethinned wall section 30 to vibrate without significant damping orabsorption of sound thereby allowing sound transmission through theexterior portion of the thinned wall section 30 of the lid 16. In thisway the walls of the case member 18 or the lid 16 may be used as amembrane to propagate sound when coupled with a suitably large aircavity formed by a sound chamber 28 or air space 32. In the depictedembodiments of the figures, two sound chambers 28 are defined in a lowerportion 29 of the case member 18 and another sound chamber 28 is definedin an upper portion 31 of the case member 18. It should be realized thatvarious numbers of sound chambers may be present.

In one aspect, the case member 18 also includes at least one secondarysound port 32. In the depicted embodiments two secondary sound ports 32are formed in the lower portion 29 of the case member 18. The twosecondary sound ports 32 include a speaker port 33 and a microphone port35. Another two secondary sound ports 32 are formed in the upper portion31 of the case member 18 and include a second speaker port 37 and asecond microphone port 39. The secondary sound ports 32 may be definedby slots 34 formed in the case member 18. The slots 34 may be coveredwith the sealing and locating material 26 that was discussed above orhave different structures as will be discussed in more detail below.

In one aspect, the sealing and locating materials 26 may be applied as amembrane in a unitary structure 27 in the region of the secondary soundports 32. Alternatively, the secondary sound port 32 may be covered by amembrane 44. The structures of the membranes 44 or membrane in a unitarystructure 27 may vary based upon the type of secondary sound port 32.

As stated above, the protective case 10 includes a lid 16. The lid 16may be formed of a clear material as specified above with respect to thecase member 18. The clear lid allows for a visual inspection of anO-ring as described in more detail below. The lid 16 includes a planarsurface 50 that terminates at an edge 42. The edge 42 includes theattachment structures or tabs 38 that mate with the main housing 14. Thelid 16 also includes a groove 52 that receives a gasket 54. The gasket54 may be an appropriately sized O-ring having a desired shore durometerthat seats between the perimeter of the main housing 14 and the groove52 in the lid 16 to provide a water tight seal. The lid 16 may alsoinclude a camera transmission portion 36 formed thereon, as describedabove.

Referring to FIG. 2A-B, the speaker port 33 may have a membrane in aunitary structure 27 positioned over the port 33. In one embodiment, themembrane in a unitary structure 27 and may be formed of sealing andlocating material 26 applied on that portion of the case member 18 toseal the case member 18. In another aspect, the speaker port 33 may becovered by a membrane in the form of a thin film or sheet of materialthat covers the opening and is attached to the case member 18 internallypreventing the entry of water and air allowing for a clear transmissionof sound. In one aspect, the membrane material may be that as describedabove. The case member 18 may include a grill structure 47 formedtherein over the opening to the speaker port 33. The grill structure 47protects the membrane in a unitary structure 27 during assembly and use.

Referring to FIGS. 3A-C, the membrane 44 positioned about the microphoneport 35 of the device may be compliantly mounted on a first membraneassembly 45 positioned within the microphone port 35. The membraneassembly 45 may include a membrane 44 attached to a grill structure 47.The membrane 44 may be formed of the materials described above. In oneaspect the grill structure 47 may be formed of a clear material allowingfor use of a UV curable adhesive or a double-sided pressure sensitiveadhesive to attach the membrane assembly 45 to the case member 18. Themembrane assembly 45 provides a water tight seal of the microphone port35. The microphone port 35 includes a cone shaped channel 49 to directand amplify sound as it travels into the protective case 10 to amicrophone of the electronic device 12. The sealing and locatingmaterial 26 positioned within the case member 18 and positioned aboutthe microphone port 35 continues the cone shaped profile and includes asealing rib or raised ridge structure 48 that mates with the electronicdevice 12 isolating the microphone and preventing degradation of thesound transmission and reverberations within the housing. In one aspect,a separate structure in a membrane assembly with foam, rubber orelastomer as a damping material may be attached or formed about themicrophone port 35 to define to the sealing rib 48.

Referring to FIGS. 4A-C, the second speaker port 37 may include a grillstructure 51 formed in the case member 18 about the speaker port 37. Thegrill structure 51 protects the membrane 53 from damage during assemblyand use. A viscoelastic adhesive or foam based adhesive 55 such a doublesided tape may be applied about the second speaker port 37 internally tothe case member 18. In one aspect the foam adhesive 55 may have athickness in the range of 0.03 to 1 millimeters. A membrane 53 isattached to the foam adhesive 55 bonding the membrane 53 to the casemember 18 providing a water tight seal. In one aspect the membrane 53may have materials properties as described above. Another adhesive 57may be positioned about the membrane 53 such that a raised rib 48 may beattached about the area of membrane 53. The raised rib 48 seals amicrophone or speaker as described above. The thickness of the foamadhesive 55 provides a separation of the membrane 53 from the casemember 18 which in combination with the thickness and materialproperties of the membrane 53 allow the membrane 53 to freely vibrateand allow for a clear transmission of sound including in a bassfrequency range. The rib structure 48 may be located immediately abovethe membrane 53 or in a wider area around the membrane 53 and directsthe sound from the second speaker of the device to the membrane 53 andisolates the sound from other portions of the case member 18 preventingsound transmission to the microphones of the electronic device 12positioned within the protective case 10.

Referring to FIG. 7, the second microphone port 39 may include a similarmembrane assembly as described above with reference to the microphoneport 35. A grill assembly 47 and membrane 57 may be attached within thesecond speaker port 39. Additionally, the sealing and locating material26 positioned within the case member 18 and positioned about the secondmicrophone port 39 includes a rib or raised ridge structure 48 thatmates with the electronic device 12 isolating an air chamber formed todirect sound to the microphone from other portions of the case member 18preventing degradation of the sound transmission and reverberations.

It should be realized that various numbers of secondary sound ports 32may be present. In one aspect, at least one of a sound chamber 28 or asecondary sound port 32 is present in the case member 18. In anotheraspect, at least one of a sound chamber 28 or a secondary sound port 32may be present in the lid 16 or a plug.

The case member 18 may include a camera transmission portion 36 formedthereon. The camera transmission portion 36 may be defined by a thinwalled section. The thinned walled section 30 may provide lessdistortion and alleviate focus issues with the electronic device 12positioned within the volume of the protective case 10. In one aspectthe camera transmission portion may include an additional lens such as apolarized, glass, CR-39, wide angle or fish eye lens formed or attachedto the camera transmission portion 36.

Referring to FIGS. 6A-E, the case member 18 and lid 16 may includeattachment structures 38 for joining the main housing 14 with the lid16. In the depicted embodiments the attachment structures 38 may beformed at various positions on the case member 18. Various types ofattachment structures may be utilized. In one aspect, as shown in FIG.6C a first attachment structure 61 may be present that corresponds to anattachment structure 38 in the corners 63 and adjoining sides of thecase member 18 and lid 16. The first attachment structure 61 includes arounded edge 59 so that the main housing 14 and lid 16 may be joined andseparated repeatedly. As can be seen in the figure, the gasket 54 iscompressed between the wall 67 of the case member 18 and the groove 52formed in the lid 16 which receives the gasket 54. In one aspect, thegasket 54 receives a radial compression between the main housing 14 andthe lid 16 to provide a water tight seal. The radial compression isdefined by the load applied to the gasket 54 from the wall 67 of themain housing 14 and the position of the gasket 54 in the groove 52 ofthe lid 16. In one aspect, the water tight seal is created through therigid structure/structural frame using the wall 67 of the main housing14 to compress the gasket against the groove 52 formed in the lid 16 andthis water tight seal may function independently of and can besupplemented by one or more other mechanisms to mate, clasp, latch andkeep the main housing 14 and the lid 16 mated joined and closed.

Referring to FIG. 6D-E, the case member 18 and lid 16 may include asecond attachment feature 70 present on the lateral or longer sides 72(Shown in FIG. 5) of the case member 18 and lid 16. The secondattachment feature 70 includes a secondary structure 74 on the mainhousing 14 to reinforce the compressive force that the wall 67 exerts onthe gasket 54 along the longer side 72 of the main housing 14 where thestructural frame may be more susceptible to flex under the compressiveforce of the gasket 54 The second attachment feature 70 includes a tab75 on the main housing 14 that is trapped within a groove 76 on the lid16 such that the lid 16 and case member 18 are interlocked andstructurally stronger. Additionally a rounded tab 77 protrudes from theedge 42 of the lid 16 slightly more than the gasket 54 so that the tab77 makes contact with side wall 67 of the main housing 14 first andprotects the gasket 54 from abrasion when mating the lid 16 to the mainhousing 14. As can be seen in the FIG. 6D, the gasket 54 is compressedbetween the wall 67 of the case member 18 and the groove 52 formed inthe lid 16 which receives the gasket 54. In one aspect, the gasket 54receives a radial compression between the main housing 14 and the lid 16to provide a water tight seal. The radial compression is defined by theload applied to the gasket 54 from the wall 67 of the main housing 14and the position of the gasket 54 in the groove of the lid 16.

The case member 18 may also include a detent 40 formed thereon thatallows a user to separate the main housing and lid 14, 16 after theyhave been joined. In one aspect the detent 40 is sized and positioned toallow a user to access an edge 42 of the lid 16. The user may therebyuse their fingernails or a flat-edge tool inserted into the detent 40 topry the lid 16 from the main housing 14.

The case member 18 may include additional structures that allow a userto operate the electronic device 12 with a watertight seal. The casemember 18 may include one or more plugs that are attached to the casemember 18. The plug 44 shown in FIG. 7 includes an attachment structure80 for mating with the case member 18 that is joined to a plug portion82 through a tether 81. The tether 81 may be formed of a sealing andlocating material 26 or of an elastomer or textile. The plug portion 82may or may not include a core 84 that is inserted into or over-moldedwith sealing and locating material 26 that has defined sealing ribs 86that may be on the exterior surface of the plug portion 82. The plugcore 84 stabilizes the plug portion 82 so that it consistently maintainsthe appropriate shape to fit accurately in the sealing cavity 88 for awater tight seal into the headphone jack portion 90 of the case member18. Alternatively, the exterior surface of the plug portion 82 may havea groove into which a gasket may be assembled to form an accurate fit toa sealing cavity 88. The sealing cavity 88 may or may not have a sealingrib to aid in the creation of a water tight seal. In another embodimentnot shown here, the secondary sound ports and membrane assemblies may beformed on one or more plugs that are sealably joined to the case member18.

Additionally, the case member 18 may include various flexible membranestructures 46 to operate buttons or switches associated with theelectronic device 12. Additional flexible membranes structure 46 notshown may be positioned to operate any number of buttons or switchessuch as a mute toggle, volume adjustment button, on/off button or anyother type of button. The flexible membrane structures 46 may havevarious forms and shapes to actuate the desired buttons of theelectronic device 12. As shown in FIGS. 8A-C a flexible membranestructure 46 may include a mechanical feature 92 to actuate the desiredbutton of the electronic device 12. The flexible membrane structures 46may be formed of the sealing and locating material 26 described above ormay be another material attached to the main housing 14. In one aspect,the flexible membrane structure 46 may be over-molded with the mainhousing 14 to define a home button actuation point 94. The case member18 as stated above includes a sealing and locating material 26 attachedto the interior and exterior walls of the case member 18. Portions ofthe sealing and locating material 26 on the interior of the case member18 may include raised structures or bumps 96 to locate and position thedevice within the case member 18, as best seen in FIG. 8A. Additionalstabilization structures 98 may be formed to stabilize the main housing14 in an over-mold tool. In another embodiment for the manufacture ofthe protective case 10 through a 2K double injection (or co-injection);the protective case 10 may employ the use of non-flexible buttons madeof solid harder materials such as plastic or metal, etc. These solidbuttons may be inserted into a cavity of the co-molded rubber 26 withinthe case member to allow the actuation of buttons through a thin rubbersection to the button on the device within.

The case member 18 may also include an attachment structure 48 best seenin FIG. 1 & FIG. 10, for attaching to a lanyard allowing a user to carrythe protective case 10. The lanyard attachment structure may bepositioned at various positions on the case member 18.

In use, a user may position an electronic device 12, such as a phone andin particular a phone having a touch screen, within the case member 18.The lid 16 may then be joined with the main housing 14 using theattachment structures 38 such that the gasket 54 is seated in the groove52 of the lid 16 and a radial compression is applied to the gasket 54sealing the lid 16 and main housing 14 and provides a water tight seal.The user may visually verify that the gasket 54 is properly seated asthe main housing 14 and lid 16 may be formed of a clear material in anarea about the gasket 54 so the user may see the seal of the gasket 54through the wall 67 of the main housing 14 to make sure the gasket 54 iscompressed, which will appear as an even compression line of a slightlydifferent color of the gasket 54 formed when the gasket is deformedagainst the main housing. The user may confirm the water tight sealformed by the main housing 14 and lid 16 if the compression line appearsconsistently around the entire perimeter of the clear case member 18with no breaks across the line. If the gasket 54 is not properly seatedor the main housing 14 and lid 16 are not sealed, this will beimmediately detectable as the gasket 54 will show where the seal isbroken in the lack of formation of a slightly different colored line inone section of the perimeter as seen through the main housing 14 or lid16. The user may operate the various functions of the electronic device12 through the use of the various flexible membranes 46. Sound may betransmitted through the protective case 10 using the various soundchambers 28, secondary sound ports 32, membrane in a unitary structure27 and thin walled portions 30 described above. The water tight spacewithin the joined protective case 10 allows for the clear transmissionof sound. Additionally, cameras associated with the electronic device 12are operable and have a clear path for transmission. A touch screen ofthe electronic device 12 may be operated through the screen member 24 ofthe case member 18.

Referring to FIG. 9 there is shown a second embodiment of a protectiveand waterproof case 110. As with the first embodiment, the protectivecase 110 includes a main housing 114 and a lid 116. The main housing 114may include a case member 118. The case member 118 may be formed ofvarious materials to provide a rigid structure for the protective case110. In one aspect, the case member 118 may be formed of a clearmaterial such as a clear plastic resin. Various plastic resins includingpolycarbonate may be utilized.

The case member 118 may include various slots and access ports 120formed therein. The slots and access ports 120 may be used to actuatevarious functions using buttons or switches and allow soundtransmission, as will be described in more detail below. Additionally,the case member 118 may include a window portion 122 formed therein thatreceives a screen member 124. The case member 118 may include sealingand locating material 126 applied thereon on defined portions of thecase member 118, such as about the slots and access ports 120 to providelocation and a sealing for the electronic device 112 as well as allowaccess to various buttons of the electronic device as will be describedin more detail below. In one aspect, the sealing and locating material126 may include various plastic elastomers such as a TPE-TPU material,rubber or may be formed of other materials.

The case member 118 includes a screen member 124 attached thereon aboutthe window portion 122 of the case member 118. The screen member 124 maybe a separate piece attached using various methods including using anadhesive, welding, molding hot stamping, insert molding, co-injection orotherwise attaching the screen member 124. Alternatively, the screenmember 124 may be formed with the case member 118 and may have athickness that is different from other portions of the case member 118.In one aspect, the screen member 124 may be formed of a clear materialallowing viewing of a display of the electronic device 112. The screenmember 124 may have a thickness that allows a user to manipulate a touchscreen of the electronic device 112 through the screen member 124 andallow for transmission of sound. In one aspect, the screen member 124may extend to an ear piece speaker location of the electronic device 12allowing the screen member 124 to vibrate and allow more acoustic energyto be transmitted through the screen member 124.

The lid 116 includes at least one sound chamber 128 formed thereon. Theat least one sound chamber 128 may be defined by an area of the lid 116that includes a thinned wall section 130 or wall section that has asmaller thickness than an adjacent portion of the lid 116. The thinnedwall section 130 defines an air space 205 allowing for sound to betransmitted from speakers of the electronic device 112. In the depictedembodiments of the figures, two sound chambers 128 are also defined in alower portion 129 of the case member 118. It should be realized thatvarious numbers of sound chambers may be present.

In one aspect, the case member 118 also includes at least one secondarysound port 132. In the depicted embodiments a secondary sound ports 132is formed in the upper portion 131 of the case member 118 and includes amicrophone 135. Additionally, the lid 116 may include a secondmicrophone port 139. The secondary sound ports 132 may be defined byslots 134 formed in the case member 118 or lid 116.

Referring to FIGS. 10-11, the membrane 127 positioned about themicrophone port 135 of the electronic device 112 may have a firstmembrane assembly 143 positioned within the microphone port 135. Themembrane assembly 143 may include a membrane 144 of a size and thicknessas described above and having the desired material properties asdescribed above to allow for the accurate transmission of sound. In thedepicted embodiment, a TPU membrane 144 is attached to foam sections 145using an appropriate adhesive such as a double sided adhesive 147 asdescribed above. The membrane assembly 143 is positioned on an innersurface of the case member 118 in the region of the microphone port 135and compliantly attached to the case member 118 using a viscoelasticadhesive. The foam sections 145 serve to define an air cavity in whichto seal the microphone of the electronic device 112 to improve the soundquality and prevent reverberations as described above and alsocompliantly mounts and allow the membrane 144 to freely vibrate for anaccurate transmission of sound as described above. In another embodimentnot shown, the air cavity may for formed of a foam, rubber or elastomermaterial which may not be directly attached to the membrane assembly butthat instead is located in an area that seals the membrane assembly andisolates an air cavity that directs sound to the sealed area around themicrophone of the device 112. The microphone port 135 includes a coneshaped channel 149 to direct and amplify sound as it travels to themembrane assembly 143 on microphone port 135 to direct it to amicrophone of the device 112. Additionally, the case member 118 mayinclude a lip or extension 151 from the case member 118 toward aninterior of the case member 118. The lip 151 prevents the device 112positioned within the case 110 from damaging the foam sections 145 suchas from a sideways sheering force that may be applied.

Referring to FIGS. 12-13 the second microphone port 139 may be formed inthe lid 116. The second microphone port 139 may include a membraneassembly 155 that also functions as a camera and flash isolationstructure. The entire membrane assembly 155 may be attached to the lid116 using an appropriately compliant adhesive as described above such asa double sided VHB tape at least 1 mm wide to form a water tight seal.In the depicted embodiment the lid 116 may include a raised lip 117 tolocate the membrane assembly 155. An opaque co-molded section 119 madeof a black elastomer, rubber or other material that absorbs light may bedefined about the second speaker port 139 to receive the membraneassembly 155 to block light transmission from a camera flash fromtraveling through the clear lid 116 or case member 118. Another raisedlip 117 b of a black TPE/TPU molded elastomer, rubber or other materialthat absorbs light may also be defined about the camera or flash tolocate the membrane assembly 155 and to block light from a flash fromtraveling through the lid 116 or membrane assembly 115 or case member118 to the camera.

The membrane assembly 155 may include a membrane 161 positioned betweenfoam sections or rubber sections 163. The membrane 161 is formed of aclear material such as TPU, PEN, PVDF or other acoustic and opticallytransparent material to allow a camera flash or a camera of anelectronic device 12 to operate through the membrane 161 and also allowfor the transmission of sound to be received in the case 110 by amicrophone of an electronic device 12. As shown in the figures, themembrane 161 is positioned in a cutout section 165 of the foam sections163. An adjacent cutout section 167 is defined to receive a camera fromthe electronic device 12 which may or may not be located through araised lip of TPE/TPU 117 b. The camera is isolated from the flash thatpasses through the membrane 161 of the second microphone port 139. Thecamera may operate through the lid material that is positioned below thecamera cut out section 167 or through an additional assembled lensformed or attached to the lid 116 such as those mentioned above. Thefoam section cutout 165 for the membrane 161 also includes a notch 169formed therein to form and seal an air chamber between the electronicdevice 12 and the lid 116 that directs and allows acoustic energy totravel to a microphone of the device 112.

Referring to FIGS. 14A-16C, the case member 118 and/or lid 116 mayinclude attachment structures 138 such as cavities, undercuts and tabs,snap fit, or hinge features or other attachment structures for joiningthe main housing 114 with the lid 116. In the depicted embodiments theattachment structures 138 may include cavities 170 formed in the casemember 118 and lid 116 allowing the lid 116 to mate with the case member118 on one side of the lid 116. On an opposing side latches 172 may beattached that pivot and contact snap fit features 174 on the case member118 to secure the lid 116 to the case member 118. Additionally secondarysnap fit features 176 may be formed on the lid 116 to mate with thecavities 170 in the case member 118 and securely attach the lid 116 tothe case member 118. As can be seen in the figures, a gasket or seal 178is positioned in a groove 152 formed about the edge of the lid 116. Theseal 178 includes a sealing edge 180 and a dust skirt lip 182 to preventdust and other debris from entering the interior of the case 110. Theseal 178 is compressed between the wall 167 of the case member 118 andthe groove 152 formed in the lid 116 which receives the seal 178. In oneaspect, the seal 178 receives a radial compression between the mainhousing 114 and the lid 116 to provide a watertight seal. The radialcompression is defined by the load applied to the seal 178 from the wall167 of the main housing 114 and the position of the seal 178 in thegroove 152 of the lid 116. Additionally the dust lip 182 seals a gapbetween the lid 116 and case member 118. The seal 178 may include cutout portions 181 to allow the latches 172 to sit flush in the housing114 when attached.

Referring to FIGS. 14A and 14B, the case member 118 and lid 116 mayinclude attachment structures 138 for joining the main housing 114 withthe lid 116. In the depicted embodiments the attachment structures 138may include cavities 170 formed in the wall 167 of the case member 118and allowing the lid 116 to mate with the case member 118 and beadditionally secured using side latches 172 on both sides of the lid 116in the middle of the case member. These side latches 172 may be attachedthat pivot and contact snap fit features 174 on the case member 118 tosecure the lid 116 to the case member 118. Additionally secondary snapfit features 176 may be formed on the lid 116 to mate with cavities 170formed in the wall 167 of the case member 118 and securely attach thelid 116 to the case member 118. The combination of both of the opposingside latches 172 that fit into snap fit features 174 and the secondarysnap fit features 176 that fit into cavities 170 on the case member 118may be employed to capture and seal an O-ring 178 depicted in FIG. 16Cto create sufficient force to maintain an even compression line alongthe wall 167 of the case member 118 and to create a water tight seal. Inanother aspect, the opposing side latches 172 also keep the lid 116 inplace if the strong outer shell is exposed temporarily to significantforces such as an impact on a drop or pressure at depth underwater andhelps to maintain the overall structure and integrity of the water tightseal. As can be seen in the figures, a round O-ring seal 178 ispositioned in a groove 152 formed about the edge of the lid 116.Additionally, the case member 118 or lid 116 may have locating cavitiesthat allow a mounting feature to orient itself to be used as anattachment point for accessories such as a belt clip, holster, stand,mount, docking stand, tripod, floatation device, etc. In one embodimentas shown in FIG. 14A, when the secondary snap fit features 176 areengaged in the corresponding cavities 170 to join the case member 118and lid 116 together and the opposing side latches 172 are pivoted anengaged with snap fit features 174, locating cavities 173 are formed inthe area where the opposing side latches 172 are secured in the two sidewalls of the case member 118. Referring to FIGS. 30 and 31, there isshown one embodiment of a mounting feature 175 engages and fits into thelocating cavities 173. The mounting feature 175 also serves to increasethe structural integrity of the sealed case member 118 and lid 116 byincreasing the rigidity of the protective case 110 that aids inmaintaining a consistent compression for a water tight seal including inthe event of a drop or impact that could otherwise force the lid 116 toseparate from the main housing 114. Referring to FIGS. 30 and 31,mounting features 175 may connect onto a range of accessories thatemploy a variety of mechanical methods of attachment 177, such as abayonet, screw, snap fit or other methods.

The case member 118 may include additional structures that allow a userto operate the electronic device 112 with a water tight seal. The casemember 118 may include a plug 144, best shown in FIG. 17 that isattached to the case member 118. The plug 144 includes an attachmentstructure 180 for mating with the case member 118 that is joined to aplug portion 182 through a tether 181. The plug portion 182 engages aspecific corresponding shaped access port form in the case member 118and forms a water tight seal through compression of an O-ring, gasket orother compressible material built into or assembled onto the plugportion 182 when mated together through a friction fit, snap fit,bayonet fit, screw fit or other mechanical mating method. In otherembodiments, a plug 144 may be used to engage various access ports asshown in FIG. 17B to access features of the electronic device 112 suchas the charge connector, audio jack, camera, buttons, switches, sensors,battery, power source or other feature of the electronic device 112. Thetether 181 be made of rubber or textile including a thin cord and may beutilized so as to avoid accidental loss of the removable sealable plug144 when the attachment structure 180 is permanently or semi-permanentlymated to the case member 118. In FIG. 17, the plug portion 182 mayinclude a threaded core 184 that mates with the head phone slot formedin the housing 114. An O-ring may be positioned about the plug 182 tocompress and seal as the plug portion 182 is screwed into the head phoneslot formed in the case member 118. The removable plug 144 may bereplaced with an adaptor 364 with the same shaped features on theexterior of plug portion 182, such as a threaded core 184, such that theadaptor 364 may engage the corresponding access port or slot on the casemember 118 and form a water tight seal with or without an assembledO-ring. The adaptor 364 may also interact with a feature of theelectronic device 112 by engaging an audio jack, USB slot, micro USBslot, storage or memory slot, access port for digital or analog audio orvideo input or output device such as a speaker, video player, recorderor other device. In another embodiment, a waterproof charge connectormay be used to seal to the opening of the charge port to create awaterproof connection to a waterproof charger or battery. Such aconnector may employ a friction fit, snap fit, bayonet fit, screw fit orother means to mechanically attach and not accidentally separate theconnector from the housing by pulling on connector or the protectivecase 110 and rendering it not waterproof.

Additionally, the case member 118 may include various toggles 146 tooperate buttons or switches associated with the electronic device 112.In the depicted embodiment of FIGS. 18-19, a first toggle 182 may bepositioned on the upper portion of the case member 118. The toggle 182includes an assembly having an actuator having a C-shaped contactportion 184 within the case member 118 and a shaft 186 that extendsthrough the slot formed in the case member 118 and is received in acontrol button 188 on the exterior of the case member 118. The shaft 186may have one or more O-rings or compressible gaskets that may be made ofa self-lubricating material and may have a low friction surface finishto minimize wear on the O-ring or gasket and the O-rings may bepositioned around the shaft 186 to seal the opening in an axial orradial direction in the case member 118 and provide a water tight seal.The control button 188 may be rotated to cause the C-shaped contactportion 184 to rotate and actuate a switch on the electronic device 112.Another toggle 190, as shown in FIG. 20 may be positioned on the upperside of the case member 118. The toggle 190 may include a similarstructure a described above including the button 188, actuator withcontact portion 184 and O-ring seal. The control button 188 may have aprotrusion 324 that engages a locating feature 322 formed in the casemember 118 so as to limit the rotation of the shaft 186 so that theC-shaped contact portion 184 rotates just enough to toggle the switch onthe electronic device 112.

Referring to FIGS. 21-22, the case member 118 may include an access port192 formed on the lower portion of the case member 118. The access port192 may be used for charging an electronic device 112 or accessing otherparts of the device 112. The access port 192 includes a removably hingeddoor 194 attached to the case member 118. The hinged door 194 includes aseal or compressible gasket 196 positioned thereon that mates with thecase member 118. The hinged door 194 includes snap features 198 formedthereon that mate with the case member 118 to hold the door 194 inplace. The angle of the snap features 198 can range from 45 degrees to90 degrees. The closer to 90 degrees the angle is, the more secure thelatch, but the more difficult it becomes to remove. In one embodiment, asecondary lock 200 slides within a channel in the case member 118 tomove in and out of contact with the door 194 to latch the door 194 tothe case member 118, thereby securing the door 194 to prevent it frombeing accidentally opened. In one aspect, the door may be opened orremoved so that accessory devices may be mated with the case 110. Forexample various accessories such as battery chargers and other devicesmay include a seal that mates with the case member 118 and latches tothe case member 118 may be included. In another aspect as shown in FIG.22B and C the hinged door 194 may include snap feature 356 that mateswith a member 352. An O-ring 350 may seal about the snap feature 356 andmember 352. A lock piece 354 may mate with the snap feature 356 to holdthe member 352 in place. Additionally an alternative door 194 may matewith the case member 118 and include latches as shown in FIG. 32.

In one aspect, as shown in FIGS. 24-26, the lid 116 or screen 124 mayact as an acoustic membrane 204 to transmit sound out of the case 110.As shown in FIG. 24 the lid 116 is spaced from the device in the case todefine an air space or air gap 205. The sound may be redirected throughthe air cavities and air gaps 205 to allow the air pressure to move toanother larger area of the case 110 that can vibrate and act as thespeaker membrane 204 to allow sound waves to propagate to the outside ofthe case. The sound can be redirected in such a way because the case 110is constructed with strategic air channels and no air vents so thatthere is minimal loss in acoustic energy as there is little transmissionloss of the sound since there are no air vents that would reduce the airpressure and reduce the potential vibrational energy of the membrane. Inone embodiment, the structure of the lid may be utilized to act as theacoustic membrane 204. In one aspect as shown in FIG. 26 the lid 116 mayinclude a cut out portion 210 that may have a thinner piece of materialcompliantly mounted therein to act as the membrane 204. Various sizedcutouts 210 may be utilized with various sized membranes 204 appliedover the cut out 210. The membrane material may be the same or differentfrom the lid 116. In mounting such membranes to the lid, it is importantto pay attention to boundary conditions of the membrane to avoidexcessive vibrations that affect the acoustics which can be avoided byensuring that the membrane is compliantly mounted or additional dampingmaterials are used. Alternatively the lid 116 may be formed as one pieceand act as the acoustic membrane 204. In such an embodiment the lid 116may have a thickness and size which in combination with the air gap 205allows the lid to vibrate and transmit sound.

The screen 124 may also act as an acoustic membrane in combination withan air gap 205 as best shown in FIG. 24. As with the lid 116, the screenmay have a thickness and size in conjunction which in combination withthe air gap 205 that allows the screen 124 to vibrate and transmitsound.

Referring to FIGS. 27 and 28, there is shown an earpiece sealing memberor noise isolating assembly 300 that is positioned about a periphery ofthe ear piece speaker/microphone 302. As referenced above, if the areaof such an earpiece 302 is located adjacent to sensors and otherfunctions, the earpiece 302 may be designed with a membrane assemblythat is suitable for the speaker sound to vibrate the membrane and beheard, while a noise isolating assembly 300 made of damping materialssuch as foam, elastomer or a rubber seal applied with a pressuresensitive adhesive may be located further around the perimeter of thesensors and touchscreen such that they do not impede the function ofthose elements. Such a noise isolating assembly 300 may form an airtightseal with the surface of the housing or screen membrane 124 so thatreverberations and sound from another speaker in the housing does notgenerate feedback or echoes. This also serves to assist the signalprocessing algorithm employed by the electronic device 112 to detect thebackground noise and cancel it quickly enabling a clear call. The noiseisolating assembly 300 may be of sufficient thickness that may rangefrom 0.07 mm to 2 mm and may be of a suitable location that it does notsignificantly distort the housing so that it affects the pressure orcapacitive functionality of the touchscreen nor the optical clarity andlight transmission and impairs the function of the proximity sensor orambient light sensor or other back illuminated camera sensors or sensorsor functions.

In one aspect, as shown in FIG. 28 the ear piece sealing member 300 maybe located within the shaded area 304 to provide sealing and not distortthe other functions of sensors on a device.

Referring to FIG. 29 there are shown views of an audio adaptor 360 thatis sealingly connected to the head phone jack port. The audio adaptor360 includes an O-ring or gasket 362 that is assembled onto a groove 366that may be formed as part of an over molded body 364. The O-ring sealsagainst the case and provided a water tight seal. A user may plug in awater proof headphone to listen to audio or make phone calls through theheadphones.

The invention has been described in an illustrative manner. It istherefore to be understood that the terminology used is intended to bein the nature of words of description rather than of limitation. Manymodifications and variations of the invention are possible in light ofthe above description. Thus, within the scope of the appended claims,the invention may be practiced or applied other than as specificallydescribed.

We claim:
 1. A protective case for an electronic device comprising: amain housing; a lid; the main housing and lid removably joined to definean air and water tight volume receiving an electronic device saidelectronic device including an earpiece having a speaker and microphonepositioned thereon; wherein the lid includes an earpiece port formedtherein proximate the earpiece of the electronic device and a membraneassembly attached to the lid by a compliant adhesive, the membraneassembly transmitting sound to the ear piece port and a noise isolatingassembly attached to the lid, the noise isolating assembly positionedabout a periphery of the earpiece isolating the earpiece from anadditional sound source.
 2. The protective case of claim 1 wherein themembrane assembly includes a membrane, attached to a foam material whichis attached to the lid.
 3. The protective case of claim 1 wherein thenoise isolating assembly is attached to the lid with a pressuresensitive adhesive.
 4. The protective case of claim 1 wherein the noiseisolating assembly is formed of a material selected from the groupconsisting of foam, elastomer and rubber.
 5. The protective case ofclaim 1 wherein the noise isolating assembly includes a thickness offrom 0.07 millimeters to 2 millimeters.
 6. A protective case for anelectronic device comprising: a main housing; a lid; the main housingand lid removably joined to define an air and water tight volumereceiving an electronic device said electronic device including an audiointerface; wherein the main housing includes an audio slot formedtherein proximate the audio of the electronic device and an audioadapter having a body including an O-ring that seals against the audioslot providing a water tight seal.
 7. A protective case for anelectronic device comprising: a main housing; a lid; the main housingand lid removably joined to define an air and water tight volumereceiving an electronic device said electronic device; wherein the mainhousing includes locating cavities formed therein, the locating cavitiesorienting a mounting feature attached to the main housing. proximate theaudio of the electronic device and an audio adapter having a bodyincluding an O-ring that seals against the audio slot providing a watertight seal.
 8. The protective case of claim 7 wherein the locatingcavities are formed in side walls of the case member proximate opposingside latches.
 9. The protective case of claim 7 wherein the mountingfeature includes an attachment point attaching accessories to themounting feature.
 10. The protective case of claim 9 wherein theattachment point includes a screw attachment.
 11. The protective case ofclaim 9 wherein the attachment point includes a snap fit attachment. 12.The protective case of claim 9 wherein the attachment point includes abayonet attachment.
 13. The protective case of claim 7 wherein themounting feature increases a rigidity of the case main housing and lidwhen joined and the mounting feature is attached in the locationcavities.
 14. A protective case for an electronic device comprising: amain housing; a lid; the main housing and lid removably joined to definean air and water-tight volume receiving an electronic device saidelectronic device including a switch; at least one air cavity is formedof a foam, rubber or elastomer material that seals and defines an airvolume between the device and any of the lid or main housing in whichthe air cavity is used to isolate or channel sound to or from aspecified area of a microphone or speaker of the device and wherein themain housing includes a slot formed therein proximate the switch of theelectronic device and a toggle rotatively positioned within the slot,the toggle including a C-shaped contact portion and the switchpositioned in the C-shaped contact portion and actuated by rotation ofthe toggle.
 15. The protective case for an electronic device of claim 14wherein the C-shaped contact potion includes a circular body having aC-shaped groove formed in a lower surface.
 16. The protective case foran electronic device of claim 14 wherein the C-shaped contact portion ispositioned within the main housing, the toggle including a shaftextending from the C-shaped contact potion and passing through the slot.17. The protective case for an electronic device of claim 16 furtherincluding an O-ring positioned about the shaft, the O-ring providing anair and water tight seal relative to the slot.
 18. The protective casefor an electronic device of claim 16 wherein the toggle includes abutton attached to the shaft on an exterior of the main housing, thebutton rotatable to actuate the toggle.